How best to sort this

drofluf · September 2023

Further to this thread https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/242915/guitar-kits-guitar-fabric-rickenbacker-12-string-build-thread#latest I’ve got a few days off and decided to sort it.

The action is very high at the 12th fret

And the bridge is right down

I took it to my local tech and he suggested that he’d route out a space to lower the bridge. He quoted a fair price but together with a setup it’s going to come to twice what I paid for the kit. So I’m looking at other options.

I’ve only got hand tools but my thought is to cut a hole about 7mm deep to drop the bridge into with a chisel.

Any pitfalls to this approach or is there a better solution?

TTony · September 2023

It might be an optical illusion, but those frets don't look very level (ie equal height)?

Check the truss rod is working, and get the fingerboard (not necessarily the fret tops) level.
Then make sure that the frets are level up and down the fingerboard.
Is the nut cut correctly? Capo at the 3rd fret and check string height at the first fret - you're looking for clearance, but minimal.
If there's still an issue, and assuming that the neck is properly fixed (ie you're not going to remove it to adjust the angle), then you'll have to lower the bridge.
Neatest way to do that it with a template and router. A decent-enough router won't cost a huge amount (£50 ish) and will allow you to do a much neater job than a chisel.

Roland · September 2023

drofluf said: ... my thought is to cut a hole about 7mm deep to drop the bridge into with a chisel.

You only need to drop the bridge by 2 or 3mm. It looks as if you've got that much clearance under the tune-o-matic bar. If you can extract the anchor studs then you might be able to get away with drilling out and countersinking the studs to bring the TOM down to the top of the body. If the body is flat, rather than radiused like a Les Paul, then you could gain a millimetre or so by sanding the bottom flat.

You can also get tune-o-matics with different depths, for example: 10.8mm and 12.0mm , and this might help.

Otherwise you're into resetting the neck.

mrkb · September 2023

These should do the trick

Image: https://tfb-user-images.eu-central-1.linodeobjects.com/035103b16529246b01222ea1b2f3b2ca230ce2dfb125ba62c9

WezV · September 2023

i think you need at least 2mm reduction at the 12th fret, so that will mean dropping the bridge about 4mm. If you can get there the way Roland suggested then try it. If not, i would route a small channel to recess the bridge.

I wouldn't bother with a neck reset for something like this as it is a lot more work.

drofluf · September 2023

Thanks @Roland. A lower profile bridge just ordered. I look at drilling the holes but my drill press won’t reach the holes so I’ll see if a new bridge helps.

@TTony I think you underestimate my ability to cause havoc with power tools

WezV · September 2023

drofluf said:

Thanks @Roland. A lower profile bridge just ordered. I look at drilling the holes but my drill press won’t reach the holes so I’ll see if a new bridge helps.

if the drill press doesn't reach, make a thick template/drill guide on the drill press so you can use a hand drill on the body

thermionic · September 2023

The break angle looks quite shallow, which will be made worse if you drop the bridge too much. I would do a “dry run” by stacking the bridge on some spacers before breaking out the power tools…

WezV · September 2023

thermionic said:

The break angle looks quite shallow, which will be made worse if you drop the bridge too much. I would do a “dry run” by stacking the bridge on some spacers before breaking out the power tools…

if its too shallow you can screw the tailpiece down to the body. I did it on this when i felt the break angle was too shallow, with a spring underneath

Honestly though, a shallow break angle on a 12 string probably wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

gjonesy · September 2023

shim the neck?

WezV · September 2023

I'm assuming it's glued in

TTony · September 2023

WezV said:

I'm assuming it's glued in

Either that, or he's used some very good double sided tape

Image: https://i.postimg.cc/Fz1s5FL6/D321-C78-A-3-E97-44-FD-A997-705-C9051-A528.jpg

drofluf · September 2023

TTony said:

WezV said:

I'm assuming it's glued in

Either that, or he's used some very good double sided tape

Everyone said double sided tape wouldn’t hold but they were wrong

Yes neck glued I’m afraid. Biggest learning point from this build was to check properly before finally gluing:(

ICBM · September 2023

What glue did you use? The best option might be to steam it out and add a shim.

drofluf · September 2023

ICBM said:

What glue did you use? The best option might be to steam it out and add a shim.

Titebond, which I understand is amenable to heat?

I’ve got a lower profile bridge on its way and built a jig to countersink the studs if I need to so I’m going to try that approach first.

drofluf · September 2023

Well I've countersunk the studs; they actually sit far enough below the top that the adjusters are flush with the top. I need to tidy up and fill a little as my jig wasn't quite precise enough. I did warn about me and power tools.

Image: https://i.postimg.cc/Zq6rvK2d/IMG-1055.jpg

But the action is now a lot lower and into playable territory:

Image: https://i.postimg.cc/P5gWq83H/IMG-1058.jpg

Now need to get it to a grown up for a setup

WezV · September 2023

if its going in for a set-up, get them to slot the saddles a bit deeper too, might get you down another 0.5mm

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